A Promise Kept
by JulieM
Summary: Just a little idea that wouldn’t leave me alone. Read on and see what you think…What if Harm and Mac share more of a past than either of them realize? COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Just a little idea that wouldn't leave me alone. Read on and see what you think…What if Harm and Mac share more of a past than either of them realize?

Spoilers: None, but this takes place after the events of the series finale.

Disclaimer: JAG and its main characters belong to DPB and to CBS. I don't make any profit from writing any of these fics, but simply get to exercise my overactive imagination every now and then. Please don't sue me, as I'm poor with very little money!

Rating: I don't know…PG-13…T, something like that.

Category: H/M shipper.

A Promise Kept

OOOO

"Hmmm," Mac hummed softly, still half-asleep, as Harm trailed kisses up her neck.

"Good morning," he greeted her and she cracked her eyes open a fraction.

"Good morning," she replied, sleepily, then asked, "What time is it?"

"Are you really asking me that?" Harm paused in his perusal of her body and looked up at her face with surprise, "What happened to your internal clock?"

"As I recall," Mac smiled, "somebody very thoroughly fried it, last night."

"Hmmm," Harm grinned, cheekily, "Good, huh?"

"Uh-huh, I'd say so!" Mac agreed, whole-heartily, "What do you say we get some snuggling in before it's time to get up?"

"I think that is an excellent idea," Harm lowered his head back down to resume the kisses he was liberally sprinkling across her belly.

"Mmmm," Mac again approved, laying her head back down and closing her eyes with anticipation.

She opened them again when Harm ceased his deluge of kisses.

"Mac," he asked, staring at the now-faded scar that ran across the left side of her stomach. He had never noticed it before because it was so light, having faded and tanned to the same degree as the rest of her skin. It couldn't be an appendectomy; that was always on the other side of the body. Besides, this wasn't a straight, measured cut, but a curved, though clean and not jagged-looking one.

"Huh?" Mac had to look up and see what he was talking about. It had been at least twenty years since she had even noticed the scar. After a few years, it just became 'part of the furniture.'

"Oh, that," she told Harm, uninterestedly, "Got that in a bus accident, when I was fourteen."

"A bus accident?" Harm asked.

"Yeah," Mac nodded, "My Mom and I were visiting my friend Valerie in California …well, escaping from my Father, actually and Valerie's Mom Frances said we should come and stay for a while. Valerie's Dad was in the Marines as well, but he really didn't like my Dad, so my Mom and I knew we would be safe there for a few weeks until my Dad's temper had a while to cool off. He had been getting really bad, lately, nearly as bad as when my Mom took off."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Harm pulled her into his arms, "when I was in my teens, I took living in a stable home for granted. I had a Mother who loved me and a Stepfather who treated me as his own son and yet, I was constantly searching for ways to get away from home and look for my Father."

"If I had been born into a family like yours," Mac assured him, "I'd have probably taken it for granted as well. It was probably a hard change to get used to after your Father was taken away when you were still so young."

She and Harm cuddled down to get another hour of sleep, since it was a Sunday and they really didn't have much to get up for.

OOOO

_Twenty-four years previous… _

_"I can't believe you talked me into this," eighteen-year-old Harmon Rabb told his friend, Jack Keeter, "This is so not my thing…" _

_"Hey," Jack replied, defensively, "I don't remember you telling my Mother that. You were all like, 'Sure Mrs. Keeter! I'd love to!' You could have just told her you didn't want to come. I, however, didn't have any choice in the matter…" _

_Harm rolled his eyes as he thought about what would have happened if he had told Keeter's Mother 'no.' Just didn't bear thinking about…She was a nice enough woman, but she was as adept as his mother in the guilt-trip department. There were just some things that you didn't tell a friend's mother. _

_"I could have told her," Harm protested lamely, "if she hadn't got my Mom on the phone first and suggested this 'fieldtrip' to her." _

_After his little out-of-country excursion nearly five years before, Trish Rabb was always looking for ways to keep her son busy during the holidays. And Harm had been getting more and more unhappy about not finding his Father, a fact that his Mother hadn't failed to notice. The fact that he was now eighteen didn't seem to make any difference. And he was still no better at telling her, 'no.' _

_Harm and Jack Keeter had met during their first year at the Naval Academy when they were roommates and had become firm friends. The seemingly long year of hard work and even harder mischief making had served to bond the young men in a way that would connect them as friends forever, despite few opportunities to meet up. _

_Jack's Mom was a paramedic who volunteered much of her free time with community youth programs and she always jumped at the chance to get herself and her family 'giving back.' She was not able to make it on this fieldtrip today, but she'd had the great idea of sending her son and daughter along in her place. She was also good friends with Trish and Frank Burnett, after meeting them during the first day of plebe week at the Academy, so had called her friend to see if Harm 'would be interested in coming to take part, too.' Trish had of course said, 'Yes,' so Harm had no choice but to hop on the next greyhound to get to where Jack's family lived in the state. _

_As the large bus pulled up to the stop, Jack turned to look at his friend seriously and told him, "I really appreciate this, man. It'll be more bearable with you there." _

_Harm just smiled and joked, "You're gonna owe me big for this one…and don't think I won't collect on it, either!" _

_These young men trusted each other with all kinds of secrets, plots and schemes. Their circle of friends was small and they would all take most of their shared secrets to the grave with them…well, at least the secrets that they couldn't use as blackmail. _

_They climbed aboard the bus, still laughing and joking while Jack's little sister Abi trailed along after them. It was understood that she couldn't 'tag along with the boys,' so she settled for a seat reasonably near to the front, clearly noticing the rule that was displayed by the other kids on this trip; 'The older you are, the further back you can sit.' _

_Of course, there were almost no other boys Jack and Harm's age and none older than them, so they had the back seat of the bus to themselves. _

_This trip to the fairground was organized by a local youth-club and was for those thirteen and older. At fourteen, Abigail was glad that she was at least not sitting at the very front, that would be a nightmare beyond belief. It was already bad enough that she was on her own, her friends all having dropped out at the last minute. _

_OOOO _

_Sarah tried not to let her head spin round and follow the two tall boys as they made their way to the back of the bus. Sure, they were good-looking, even her fourteen-year-old mind knew that, but it was more the confidence that they were exuding that pulled her attention to them. _

_How Sarah wished that she would someday feel that self-assured. Years of verbal abuse from her Father had inevitably taken their toll; had made her question her own self-worth. She now naturally looked up to individuals who displayed such self-confidence, if only to discover for herself where she should start looking for it. Unfortunately, her search was always interrupted before achieving success, by another of her Father's tirades. _

_"Wow," she heard Valerie next to her utter, quietly, "Who are they?" _

_Valerie was a lot more forward than Sarah remembered. It seemed that in the last year Valerie had gone boy crazy. Maybe it was living in California, Sarah knew for sure that none of her friends living back in Arizona were like that. _

_Valerie hushed up when she noticed the girl that trailed behind the boys. She had dark-blond hair, braces and was slightly chubby, but Sarah thought that she seemed nice enough. Maybe it was her shy attitude that helped Sarah feel she could relate to her. _

_The girl watched the two boys wistfully as they made their way to the back seat then dropped into the seat across the aisle from Valerie and Sarah. _

_"Are they your brothers?" Valerie piped up, never one to be shy. _

_"One of them," Abigail nodded, turning back to point one of them out, "That's my big brother Jack." _

_Jack caught sight of his little sister looking at him and replied with an obscene hand gesture. _

_All three girls quickly looked away, so they didn't see Harm slap Jack upside the head. _

_"Ow!" Jack exclaimed, "What was that for?" _

_"I promised your mother I'd look out for her today," Harm told him, "Which, for that matter, you did too. So why are you doing stuff like that?" _

_"She just annoys me," Jack grumbled, although it had been a few years since Abigail had actually annoyed him on purpose. He was not long back from the academy and was still not used to receiving affection from his little sister, after all this time around peers his own age. _

_At the next stop, the group supervisors got on and one immediately made his way to the back of the bus. He was a no-nonsense ex-naval commander, so in no time at all he had extracted promises from Jack and Harm to keep an eye on the younger children and make sure that they didn't get into trouble. _

_"I can really tell, now," Harm frowned at Jack, "that this day is going to be just terrific…" _

_OOOO _


	2. Chapter 2

_OOOO _

_"Your brother's hot," Valerie informed her newest friend, as they scoped out the fairground, "but his friend is even hotter." _

_"I guess," Abi tried not to show her embarrassment, "but they'd never show any interest in people our age. They're nearly nineteen and go to the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His friend is nice, but my brother's been really horrible since he came home. I wish he'd stayed there. They didn't even want to come today, but my Mom made them." _

_The girls watched as Jack and Harm started off at the shooting gallery, quickly drawing an audience of young and old alike. _

_"Who wants to go on the twister?" Sarah suggested, distracting her friend from the man-candy for a while. _

_OOOO _

_I can't believe we can't have any fun!" Jack huffed, hotly as he and his fellow plebe made a circuit of the fairground. _

_"Well," Harm pointed out, "we did kind of promise the Commander that we'd keep an eye on the other kids." _

_"We could still do that with a rifle in our hands," Jack maintained. _

_"Uh, I don't think that he'd really like us watching the kids," Harm joked, "and shooting off rifles at the same time!" _

_Jack just laughed along with him as they walked on, to find Abi in the line for candy-floss. _

_"Hey kiddo," Jack teased her, "looking for something to eat already? It's not even mid-day, yet." _

_"Shut up, Jack," the girl told him, threatening, "or I'll tell Mom when we get home!" _

_Jack just grinned, but Harm tried to distract the girl from her brother's teasing. _

_"Abi, would you get me some candy-floss, too?" he requested, handed her a ten-dollar bill. Hell, he hadn't had this stuff since he was about five years old and it was just plain sugar, but you only live once, don't you? _

_He gave Abi a toned-down version of the Rabb smile and she dutifully did as he requested, following them when they set off again. Jack didn't say anything about her tagging around after them, but Abi figured she'd be better off keeping quiet and not attracting his attention. _

_I just love your candy-floss, man," Jack teased his friend, "Pink is just your color." _

_"Shut it, Keeter," Harm bantered back, "or I'll tell everyone back at the academy about that naked baby picture your Mom keeps on your mantelpiece…" _

_This shut Keeter up, no problem. _

_"Hey, is that a trampoline?" Harm spoke up, after a second of pause and Jack and Abi turned to look in the direction that Harm was to see that, indeed, there was an arena of trampolines set up, along with bungee harnesses. This way, the people riding bounced much higher and were safer when they were doing flips and sommersaults, as it slowed their ascent back down to the mattress. It was virtually impossible to land on your head on one of these things. _

_"Hey look!" Abi forgot her silence, "There's Valerie and Sarah!" _

_Harm and Jack looked to where she pointed and saw two girls around the same age as Abi, whom they had briefly noticed when they boarded the bus. One had a massive frizz of red hair and pale, freckled skin and the other had tanned skin and long, dark hair that had a slight wave to it. The brunette looked like she knew what she was doing, because she was turning backwards and forwards sommersaults, but the other girl was trying, albeit unsuccessfully. _

_The group couldn't help but laugh when the red-haired girl tried to lean forward and do a forward sommersault, but only got her butt into the air then tipped back again before descending down to the mattress. _

_"That's Valerie," Abi told them, "she's pretty nice, but she never stops talking…" _

_"Unlike somebody we know," Jack teased, grabbing his sister in a mock headlock, but Abi was unconcerned and continued; _

_"The other girl is Sarah. She's really nice and she doesn't talk nearly as much as her friend. She's from Arizona, but she's here visiting Valerie, because they used to go to the same school before Valerie moved." _

_"We'd better keep moving on," Jack mentioned, as Harm and Abi stood watching Sarah turn sommersaults, "C'mon, Harm." _

_Abigail stayed there, waiting for her new friends to finish on the trampoline, while Harm and Jack carried on around the fairground. _

_In all, Jack and Harm didn't have nearly as bad a day as they had feared. They had even helped out some of the younger kids on the penny machines, showing them how to time it just right so that you got your penny on the ledge behind the other pennies, instead of right on top of them. _

_After a while, Jack looked over to where he spotted that his sister was just walking away from the hotdog stand with her new friends, Valerie and Sarah. It was then that his head cocked to the side, appraisingly, studying the slim little brunette. _

_"You know what?" he asked Harm, "She's got the makings of quite a little hottie." _

_Harm looked to where Jack was staring and looked aghast. _

_"What, the trampoline girl?" he asked, skeptically, "What is she, like twelve?" _

_"She's at least thirteen if she's here on this trip," Keeter pointed out, but explained, "But I wasn't saying that I thought she was hot…I merely said that she's got some of the makings to grow up into a hottie." _

_"I'm not usually in the habit of looking at thirteen-year-olds like that," Harm conceded, looking again to settle his own curiosity at what had attracted Jack's attention, "But I guess so..." _

_"However," he was quick to add, "just remember, Keeter; that girl's the same age as your little sister." _

_That was enough to trigger Keeter's embarrassment. _

_"I didn't mean it like that…Oh, never mind. Just forgot I said anything…" _

_He took off and Harm gave one last look in the direction of Abigail and her friends. The girl Abi had pointed out was quite tall and skinny, with long, dark hair, just the type Harm usually went for, but far too young, although she had more developed curves than most her age. _

_Harm let his thoughts on the matter end, here and took off after Jack. _

_OOOO _

_After they had finished their hotdogs, the young trio went in search of other rides and Abigail Keeter soon learned that Sarah had a daredevil streak in her. She loved all the sorts of rides that had her friend going green and it was not long before Valerie begged off, saying that she didn't want to find out what her hotdog tasted like on the way up. _

_When they reached a ride that was like a centrifuge machine that had riders stuck against the wall when it picked up enough speed, Valerie stayed at the side to watch, as Abi and Sarah went on. There was a catwalk around the top of the ride, so that people could get a good look at their family and friends on the ride and after a few minutes, Valerie got bored and went up there to watch the fun. _

_Jack caught sight of her when he and Harm walked past and, knowing that she was probably watching her friend and his sister on the ride, made his way up there, Harm following him. _

_"Hey squirt," he called down, when he caught sight of his sister, "careful you don't lose your lunch!" _

_She only stuck out her tongue at him and her friend next to her just laughed as Jack mimed being sick with his eyes crossed and funny expressions on his face. _

_Once the ride picked up speed, however, it was harder to recognize the riders individually, so he just leaned back with Harm and watched. As people stuck to the wall with the G-forces, some people were able to move about by scooting. Watching his sister and her friend begin to move up the wall, Jack straightened up again and took a ten-dollar-bill out of his pocket. _

_"Hey squirt!" he shouted down, "Ten dollars for you if you manage to climb up high enough to grab it." _

_He was not sure at first whether his sister had heard him, but she and her friend were climbing higher and higher, so he assumed that she had and kept holding out the bill in his hand. Abi, however, only managed to get so far before she couldn't move any more, but Sarah continued to make her way higher. _

_Jack let out a cry of surprise as the bill was suddenly snatched from his hand. _

_"Looks like you're ten dollars poorer, Keeter!" Harm laughed, slapping his friend on the back and Jack soon joined in, good-naturedly. _

_After that, the ride began to slow and Valerie tried in her own girlish way to engage them both in conversation, but Harm and Jack politely brushed her off and went to go and meet Abigail coming off the ride. _

_"Didn't think you'd manage to grab that bill," Jack smiled as Abi and Sarah walked out. _

_"Here's your money back…" Sarah shyly went to hand it back to it's owner, but Abigail quickly pulled her hand back, telling her, "No, way. That's ours, fair and square. Besides, he's got more money than he knows what to do with. He gets far more pocket-money than I get." _

_"That's 'cause I live away from home now, squirt," Jack told his sister, but made no move to take his money back. _

_"Why don't the three of you go and enjoy an ice-cream?" Harm suggested. _

_"Thanks," Sarah politely thanked the two of them, before taking off after her friends, who were already heading to the ice-cream stand. _

_"See," Harm told his friend, "They're not really bad at all." _

_"The little brunette isn't," Keeter replied, "But I suppose the other two aren't that bad either. Even the squirt." _

_OOOO_


	3. Chapter 3

_OOOO _

_Most of the kids were quiet by the time that they all boarded the bus back to the rec. center. Despite the large amounts of sugar they had all ingested, the rides had served to burn most of that off and tire the kids out. Harm and Keeter again slumped into the seat at the back of the bus and lay back talking about returning to the Academy in a couple of weeks time. _

_Harm and Keeter eventually dozed off, as many of the kids in the bus did. _

_In her seat, Sarah leaned back against the side of the bus and chatted with Valerie and Abi, who were sitting together on the way home in order to get to know each other better. It didn't really bother Sarah, she and her Mom probably wouldn't be around at Valerie's home much longer, anyway. Sarah doubted her Father would sit idly by; he'd probably track them down sooner or later. And she knew her Dad would have all the words to charm her and her Mother back. Unfortunately, Sarah acknowledged, her Dad had as powerful a hold over her as he did over her Mother. Almost every day, Sarah would constantly find herself wondering what she could possibly do to gain his attention, his approval, be enough for him so that he wouldn't have to treat alcohol like the child he actually wanted. Unfortunately, it would be years before she realized that it wasn't anything she was doing or not doing. Her Father was a sick man, whose addiction drowned out all of the insecurities he was plagued by. _

_As Sarah sat watching the two girls, the late-afternoon sun that came streaming in the window behind her gave the scene a strange glow. Time seemed to slow down, Sarah's attention began to wan and the noises registering in her mind began to sound slow and surreal. Sarah sleepily realized that this was the first day in a long time that she had really enjoyed. Sure, she had enjoyed the trip to Valerie's family home in California, she'd probably been content since the moment they left their own home, but she'd still had her Father and what would happen once they got home in the back of her mind. Today, the moment she left the bus, she'd been caught up in the moment and hadn't given her Father a single thought. And now that she was thinking about returning home, she found that she didn't care how things ended up, because she could always return to this day, spent with a good friend and a new one who seemed to be pretty good, too and this was something that her Father couldn't take away from her. She'd probably never tell her Mom how much fun she'd had, either, because she enjoyed having that little secret to herself. It was something special that was just hers. _

_ As it happened, her Mom would never ask her how her trip to the fairground had gone. _

_ She would never ask if Sarah had made any new friends or if she would consider joining such a group once they got back to Arizona. When they returned home (and sooner than either Sarah or Deanne had anticipated, too) they would get sucked back into Joe MacKenzie's world and would not even attempt to fight it, either. _

_Sarah's eyes were almost closed, as she daydreamed idly about this magical day, when she was totally and unexpectedly thrown back into her seat. She put her hands against the seat in front of her as the bus braked sharply, then Sarah was violently thrown from the seat entirely. Many of the kids didn't even have the chance to say anything, some giving only reflexive shrieks. The occupants of the entire right side of the bus were thrown into the left side, as the bus left the highway and barrel rolled. Sarah lost consciousness as she hit the metal hand-rail along the top of the seat behind Abi and Valerie's. All the children were then thrown again as the bus rolled onto its roof. The windows had by this time been shattered, so many of the children were thrown into the glass shards. The roof had caved and crumpled like a concertina when the bus came to rest, so there was now no space where the windows used to be. Metal had broken off of somewhere and Sarah's side was gashed as she hit it and bounced off again. _

_OOOO _

_Harm and Keeter fared better in the back, as the rear window frame had withstood the pressure better, although all of the glass in the windows had also shattered. _

_"Jesus Chri…" Jack groaned, as he came to, looking around him, trying to remember where he was and how he could possibly feel this bad. It felt like the whole Academy band had marched right over the top of him and then some. _

_"Keeter?" Harm asked, as he stirred, as well. _

_Although they had briefly been jolted awake before the initial impact, it took them a minute to realize that the wreckage around them was the bus they had been traveling in. And with this realization came the jolt that all of the other kids were lying sprawled around them, too, amidst the glass and the scraps of metal and foliage that had been forced inside as they rolled. _

_"Abi!" Keeter exclaimed and brought himself to his hands and knees. _

_"Wait, Jack," Harm entreated, "I'm coming with you." _

_Together, Harm and Jack crawled on hands and knees, trying their best to cover their limbs with sleeves and pants legs, so that the glass wouldn't lacerate them any more than it had done. Most of the kids were now stirring and Harm quickly checked on them as he and Keeter went along. Most seemed to be confused and sore, but Harm didn't see anybody with anything worse than a superficial injury. That was, until they got to Sarah. She was sitting up, crying, having just come to in a lot of pain from the wound to her abdomen. _

_Harm stopped and asked her, "Hey, are you okay? You're bleeding!" _

_He didn't even think as he removed his sweater, then pulled his arm out of his shirt and ripped the sleeve off. It was his favorite one, he'd received it from his Grandmother last Christmas, but it was obvious that this girl needed it far more than he did. Thinking back to his basic first-aid course, he tried to calm the scared, young casualty. _

_"Just lie back and don't move," he instructed as he applied the make-shift bandage to the affected area, "The bleeding's pretty bad and moving around will only make it worse." _

_"I can't move," Sarah told him, grimacing as she demonstrated, "my leg is pinned…" _

_Indeed, her leg was pinned underneath the chair that had been squashed towards the bus roof, which they were now lying upon. Harm could see that Sarah was not be in any state to hold her weight up, so encouraged her to lie back down, but the floor was covered in glass particles, so he moved in beside her and settled her down against him. She let out a shuddering sob as she settled into his arms and Harm unconsciously held her tighter, knowing that she was probably in shock and needed to be kept warm. _

_"It's going to be okay," Harm assured her, as he took his sweater and draped it around her. _

_"My side really hurts," Sarah murmured, tears escaping from her brimming eyes and running down her face, only to drip onto Harm's arm. _

_"The rescue services should be here any time now and they'll bring an ambulance with them," Harm continued, "They'll get you sorted out in no time…Believe me, I never make a promise I can't keep." _

_OOOO_


	4. Chapter 4

_OOOO _

_Keeter had meanwhile continued on and had located his sister and Valerie. Although they had both suffered from lacerations and knocks to the head and body, he was able to discern that they had no other serious injuries. _

_The field-trip coordinators had all, by this time, come to and were now checking on the children. The back of the bus seemed to be the least damaged, so seemed to be the logical escape route, although some of the younger children would need help to get out, if they were to escape further lacerations from all of the glass lying around. They took those able to walk first then came back for those who would need more assistance. All the children were sat down on the grass verge and motorists who had stopped to help gave assistance in reassuring them and calming them down. For some of these children, this had been a very rare day out, some had never visited a fairground before and few of them had certainly never experienced anything this shocking before. _

_Barbara Keeter was in the vicinity when she heard over the radio that a bus full of children had left the highway south of the I-20. She told the crew to hold on, turned on the siren and immediately took off, steering around the rush-hour traffic. _

_Once she got there, the sight horrified her, both as a paramedic and as a mother. There were many children already sitting or lying on the grass verge, some already being tended to by other paramedics, some sitting crying and shaking. All were bloody from cuts to their arms and legs. She was about to assess which unattended child presented with the most severe injuries, when she noticed an adult escorting children out of the underbrush wearing the t-shirt of the organization that she often volunteered with, the organization her children went with today. She soon saw somebody else, someone who was a regular and whom she recognized. _

_"Jake!" she shouted, making a beeline for him, "What on earth happened?" _

_"The driver lost control," Jake told her, shakily, "He suddenly accelerated then braked and tugged the wheel to the right…a medic's with him, but it looks like he might have had a heart-attack or something…" _

_"And Jack and Abi?" Barbara demanded, "Are they okay?" _

_"They're a bit bruised and cut," Jake assured her, "But they're okay. Jack is helping with some of the kids still in the bus…" _

_At that moment, Jake trailed off, because Barbara had run past him, catching sight of her son and daughter. Jack was helping his sister to walk, supporting her around the waist as they climbed up the embankment to where all of the ambulances were parked. _

_"Abi! Jack!" Barbara wasted no time in running and embracing them, before giving them a quick visual check. _

_It seemed that they were both okay, but they'd have to wait for a while because Barbara knew that there were kids more seriously hurt who needed her expertise. _

_"I have to go and check on the other kids," she told them, "but I'm going to be right back…Will you be okay?" _

_"We'll be fine," Jack assured her, pulling his sister into his arms where they sat on the ground, "There are some kids that are really hurt in there, they need your help more than we do, right now. I'll take care of Abi…" _

_Jack had never been so independent before he went to the Academy, but Barbara could tell that it was more than just this. There was no hint of vulnerability or doubt in his voice. It sounded more like that of a man, not the boy she still occasionally thought of him as. She knew that what he had seen in the bus must have shocked him into taking charge like this. His new training was coming into use and she could sense that he'd never really be 'her little boy' again, after this, not even when he was at back in his childhood home. _

_This new figure of a man in place of the boy would only be cemented after his father's death, just before his and Harm's graduation from Annapolis. _

_Barbara let the crew know where she was headed and took off. Jack's friend Harm wasn't anywhere out here and Barbara silently prayed he wasn't one of the seriously injured inside the bus. _

_"We need to stabilize this child," the first medics she came across told her. _

_He already had the equipment needed, placed next to where the child was lying, but needed the extra pair of hands and the manpower to accomplish what needed to be done. _

_She helped him fix on a cervical collar, rolled the little girl onto a back-board and secure the rest of her body in place so that she wouldn't move and potentially cause herself any more damage. As Barbara got further into the bus, she saw that there were less children still in here than she had feared. Some of the older ones were helping to administer to the injured, four children and one adult amongst them. Three were pinned underneath the seats, but two of them didn't seem to have received anything more than superficial lacerations and bruising. Trish's son Harm was helping care for a young teenage girl who was also trapped, but was bleeding heavily from a deep gash to her left side. The remaining adult had suspected fractures to a leg and arm, causing so much pain that the volunteers had thought it unwise to move him. One of Barbara's crew came to stabilize the fractures, while Barbara turned her attention to the young girl Harm was holding. _

_"How bad is the bleeding?" she asked Harm and he told her that it had slowed since he'd applied pressure to the wound, but was still pretty heavy, so the gash must be pretty deep. _

_"Honey," Barbara attempted to rouse the child, "can you open your eyes for me?" _

_The girl did so, sluggishly, so Barbara asked again. _

_"Can you tell me your name and how old you are?" _

_When the child didn't manage a clear answer, Harm told Mrs. Keeter. _

_"Her name's Sarah and I think she's around Abi's age…She's been getting more and more out of it as time has passed. I think she's in shock…" _

_"Yes," Barbara nodded, getting the required equipment out of her pack and giving Sarah something for both that and something mild for the pain. Until her condition was better assessed, something stronger would have to wait. _

_"I wanted to get her out of here and to a paramedic, but her leg's pinned by the seat and I didn't want to hurt her more by trying to pull her out," Harm continued, gravely. _

_"It's best to assess her legs, first," Barbara shook her head and went to do just that, adding, "Just keep a check on her pulse, if you could, Harm. I'll be right back." _

_A colleague joined her and they assessed that Sarah's leg was only bruised where it was pinned just above the ankle. But they'd need to shift the back of the seat a ways to be able to slide the child's leg out. _

_"It's going to be okay," Harm continued to speak to her, even now that she had closed her eyes again, "Mrs. Keeter will get your ankle out and then we'll be able to get you to the ambulance. It won't be long now." _

_The sound of his voice brought Sarah to and she just stared up at him, her expression dazed but compliant. _

_"Help me and we'll see if we can move this," Barbara told her crew-member and together, they used all their strength to try and budge the offending seat. When that didn't work, they tried lifting while pushing it towards Sarah's knee, to see if some of the twisted metal would bend further upwards. They were able to move it so that there was just enough space to slide Sarah's ankle out. _

_Harm looked to his friend's Mother, to see what he needed to do next. _

_"We're going to have to lift her between the two of us," Barbara told him, "The hill outside is pretty steep and it will hurt her if she's moved about too much. We've got to keep the area around the wound stabilized." _

_Barbara looked down to check the child over once more before they moved her and saw that the girl's gaze was fixed on Harm. _

_"I think you've got an admirer, Harm," the older women joked. _

_Harm thought it was a pretty weird time for humor, but if it helped keep Sarah conscious and settled, he'd play along. _

_"Kinda makes you want to play superhero every day of the week," Harm joked back, but looked at Sarah as he said this, "if it gains the approval of the ladies!" _

_Barbara gave a short laugh and they fumbled their way out of the bus wreckage and up the hill. Sarah was anything but heavy, especially between them, but Harm and Barbara still had a hard time with the steep incline. They immediately carried the girl over to the nearest ambulance. _

_Depositing her gently on a gurney, Harm made no move to leave Sarah's side. _

_"Is Sarah okay?" Abi and Jack came hurrying over, "Valerie's already on her way to the hospital…" _

_"Is she going to be alright?" Harm asked the medic, who was looking at the wound to Sarah's abdomen. _

_"She'll be okay," the man nodded, "but she's lost quite a lot of blood. Not sure yet if she'll need a transfusion, but I'll start her up on fluids and the doctor will assess her once she gets to the hospital. What's her name?" _

_"Sarah," Abi told them, "but I don't know her last name. She and her Mom are staying with her friend Valerie's parents. They're visiting from out of state." _

_"Did her friend go away in one of our ambulances?" the medic asked, showing Abi and Jack the symbol and name on the back of the ambulance. _

_"Saint Luke's? Yes, that's were she went," Jack nodded and his sister agreed with him. _

_"We'll check with her, if she's not in too bad a state," the medic assured them, "And there should be some of the chaperones around to get her friend Valerie's contact information from." _

_"Take good care of her," Harm told the man as he reached out and softly stroked his hand against Sarah's cheek. _

_She stirred and opened her eyes again, having drifted off. _

_"You'll be okay now, Sarah," Harm told her, "These medics will bring you to the hospital and take care of you." _

_"Thank you…for keeping…your promise," Sarah managed to mumble, so quietly that Harm had to lean in towards her and consequently only he heard her. _

_Harm gave her hand a last squeeze and she was lifted into the ambulance, the doors were closed and the vehicle set off. _

_"Have you two been checked out?" Barbara asked and her children nodded. _

_"How about you, Harm?" she asked her son's friend, "Are you in any pain?" _

_"No," Harm shook his head, "just a couple of cuts, but nothing serious…I suppose I should call my Mom, let her know what's happened and that I'm okay." _

_"I can drive you home, if you'd like?" Barbara offered, "But I'd rather get you back to ours and patch you up before we do anything." _

_"I'm sure my Mom and Frank would come and get me," Harm told her, "so going back to your house would be great." _

_He looked at the cuts he had to his hands and fingers. _

_"Some of these are starting to sting, now I'm sweating," he added. _

_"Let's get you all home," Barbara ushered them all into her now unoccupied ambulance, "We'll drop by the hospital then take my car home…" _

OOOO

Present day…

Mac felt much better rested when she woke up again. And it seemed that her internal clock had sprung back to life, as well. It was amusing that it still fritzed occasionally, but considering the constant chemistry between herself and Harm, it was not surprising.

Her fiancée, the one who had caused her internal clock to malfunction in the first place, stirred beside her and pulled her closer.

"We should get up, now," Mac told him, "Or we won't sleep tonight. I've got court tomorrow and you'll have that big murder trial with Sturgis."

The visit from JAG Headquarters by their former colleague and friend had been a surprise, but made Harm and Mac think about righting the bad note they had left the friendship on. Maybe it wasn't entirely their fault in the matter, but did it really matter who had said what? Sturgis and Harm had a friendship that went back nearly as far as that between Harm and Jack Keeter. Harm was certainly willing to put some of their confrontations at JAG behind him, for the sake of salvaging an old and valuable friendship.

"Hmmm," Harm snuggled further into her neck, "Just a while longer…"

"Harm…" she smiled softly as she tried fight against his 'guerilla tactics.'

"Just a while longer," Harm tried to convince her, slipping his hand to her belly, "Junior here agrees with me."

"You want to call our baby Harmon Rabb the Third if we have a boy?" Mac asked, surprised, because it was something that they hadn't discussed yet.

"No," Harm smiled, "I was just joking. I think it's time for our baby to get his own name, not one he'll need to share with his Father and Grandfather. It was confusing enough, growing up."

"I'm glad you think that," Mac sighed as she gave in to Harm's persistence and settled back down, "Because I've been thinking about Daniel for a boy or Hannah for a girl."

"I like those," Harm nodded, trying both of them out, "Daniel Rabb…Hannah Rabb. They both sound good."

"Both will be suitable for the baby as he or she grows up," Mac added, "Neither are really babyish so that they won't like it when they're forty years old."

"That's good," Harm chuckled, "So they just might not end up hating us?"

Mac joined in the laughter and as it trailed off, Harm enfolded Mac back into his arms.

"Shall we get some more sleep?" he asked.

Mac laughed but agreed, wondering how Harm could possibly need more sleep. She had been wide awake, ready to face the day a few minutes ago and she was the one who was three months pregnant. Well, if it meant that she and Harm could snuggle, great and it wasn't like they really had somewhere they needed to be. They'd only planned to get some work on their cases done.

"Thank you," Harm mumbled into her ear as his body relaxed completely.

"For what, agreeing to stay in bed to sleep longer?" Mac asked.

"Yes, for one thing," Harm nodded, "but there are others too numerous to list."

"Thank you," Mac replied and it was Harm's turn to laugh.

"For what?" he asked, "For convincing you to stay in bed?"

"No," she laughed as she massaged the hand he had on her belly, "for our child…I never thought I'd ever be here, doing the motherhood thing."

"You're welcome," Harm told her kissing her on the nose, "but I've told you before; I never make a promise I can't keep…"

"No," Mac smiled as she closed her eyes and snuggled in, "you don't…"

FIN


End file.
